Joining of Ceramics and Metals

In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in the potential and actual uses of certain ceramics for structural applications in which strength is the basic requirement. Joining technology is critical for such applications of ceramics because of the physical and economic limitations of production of large and complex-shaped components with ceramics alone. A very important aspect of ceramic/metal joining is that it can increase the reliability of ceramics. Research on joining ceramics to metals for electrical and engineering applications has been performed for more than a decade, and a number of methods have been developed. Table I presents a brief comparison of those joining methods and gives a general trend but not a precise compari­ son. Mechanical joining, adhesives with organics, and cements have been widely used because of ease and inexpensiveness. Mechanical joining includes a variety of processes. Bolting and clamping are the simplest methods. The shrunk-in inserts were applied for part of the production of